Philosophy Statement on Transportation at Carleton

Carleton, at its core, is a residential campus designed to utilize foot and bike traffic to navigate the campus. The small size of our campus makes it easy to navigate to anywhere on campus without utilizing an automobile.

With that in mind, the College is asking everyone within our community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends—to make informed choices on the types of transportation they utilize to travel to, from, and around Carleton. Making an informed decision regarding personal and community transportation choices also helps those in the Carleton community be wise stewards of our environment and economic resources, from a personal and institutional standpoint. Commuting represents a significant percentage of Carleton’s greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting back on car use will not only help us in reaching our goal of carbon neutrality, but it also increases the quality of the air and land around us. Overflow of parking onto the streets near the College also impacts a neighborhood that is a valued asset to the College.

The College is making this push—asking everyone to consider not bringing a car to campus—knowing that it won’t be feasible for everyone. We understand that limited public transportation options exist in the Northfield area, but we hope to illuminate the ones that do exist and open discussions on what other things Carleton might do to offer alternatives to automobiles on campus.